Port Orchard jail officer tested positive for COVID-19 virus, Kitsap Sheriff’s Office says

A Kitsap County correction officer has tested positive for exposure to the COVID-19 virus and is being isolated at home, the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department announced Thursday.

Corrections officers work mainly at the Kitsap County Jail in Port Orchard.

The officer fell ill with symptoms of the coronavirus and was tested. The results returned positive, said Sheriff’s spokesman Scott Wilson.

An emergency response team is tracing the officer’s movements and contacts within the jail at 614 Division Street. Other officers who may be at risk have been notified and given the appropriate medical advice, Wilson said in a release.

The jail is undergoing “deep sanitation,” including prisoner housing, he said.

The sheriff’s correction division has established an inmate isolation unit where prisoners who shows signs of illness can be monitored frequently, Wilson said.

During the past week, the sheriff, prosecuting attorney and county courts have been taking measures to reduce the jail population, including changing booking and sentencing standards.

The jail website on Thursday showed that 30 inmates had been released.

This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 6:33 PM.